Langdale Moor: Fire crews are praised for tackling moorland blaze amid explosions

At its peak, 19 appliances were sent to Langdale Moor near RAF Fylingdales after the fire was first spotted on Monday. Exploding ordnance on a former range on the moorland meant fire crews were moved away for safety reasons.

A North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said the fire was largely under control but the peat it was expected to burn for a number of days.

He said: “We are very proud of our firefighters and the work done that has been done on scene to contain the fire spread over the last few days.

“We are very grateful for the work of partner agencies including the Forestry Commission and neighbouring fire and rescue services.

“We are surrounding the perimeter of the fire.”

It was declared a major incident and by yesterday the number of appliances on the scene was 11 with support from a helicopter and drone. The fire covers around appliances five square kilometres.

After four pieces of ordnance exploded on Wednesday crews adopted “defensive and containment” operation. The wind has changed direction and the scene is contained on two sides.

The spokesman said: “Our advice to local residents is to avoid the area where possible. There are no evacuation orders or anything in place like that. We do advise residents to close doors and windows and avoid breathing in smoke. A lot of the ground involved is peaty so it does burn for a considerable time.”

“Incidents of this nature are very challenging even without the ordnance. As well as the fire spread on the surface the peatland does cause fire spread sub-surface so it makes creating fire breaks challenging.”

Farmers have joined the operation by laying slurry to stop the spread of the fire and by digging fire break trenches. The fire service said it was grateful that members of the public donated food and water for fire crews. Crews were called to the area following reports of smoke, but soon discovered a blaze covering around 300 metres by 300 metres of moorland.

The fire continued to spread and yesterday the fire service has confirmed the blaze covered around five square kilometres of the moor.

David Skaith, Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, and Jo Coles, Deputy Mayor for Policing, Fire and Crime, said they were aware of the major incident declaration.

They also backed the fire service plea to encourage the public to avoid the area and follow the latest advice from the fire service, which can be found on their website.

North Yorkshire Moors Railway suspended its steam train services. The fire service said the cause of the fire was not yet known.

“We have precautions in place for our crews at the scene, but people may hear explosions.

"Explosive Ordnance Disposal are aware and are attending,” the spokesperson added.

Alison Hume, Labour MP for Scarborough and Whitby, thanked firefighters for their hard work.

She said: "It's been four long, hot days with changing wind direction and difficult terrain. My thoughts are with them.

"The fire is a great concern to me and all of my constituents.

"Those of us who live in Whitby or nearby will be very aware about the huge amount of smoke and the drop in air quality."